Democracy is Under Attack with President Donald Trump

Democracy is Under Attack with President Donald TrumpDemocracy is Under Attack with President Donald Trump By Roger CaldwellWithout the rule of law, America is destined to fail and collapse. Under the leadership of President Trump, American leadership is moving to the right where many conservatives and Republicans are upset because living standards and income are declining. President Trump’s only focus is on fooling his base by convincing them that his policies will improve their quality of their life. But he is really only concerned with improving the bottom-line of his personal businesses and helping the 1% of wealthy citizens get richer. As he solidifies his base and authority, he will utilize authoritarian tactics to restrict freedom of assembly and freedom of speech. With all the generals in positions of authority in Trumps administration, law enforcement will be given authority to abuse their power. Under Trump, there is an environment of hostility, and the alt-right is pushing an agenda of hate and violence.There is a proliferation of guns and the president’s hateful rhetoric is creating a culture of institutional discrimination and racism geared to all people of color. Any peaceful expression of protest is considered unpatriotic and it appears Trump is always right from his perspective.As the gap between Democrats and Republicans grows wider, America is beginning to fade as the beacon of Democracy.On MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow show, former Attorney General Eric Holder stated, “I’m not being hyperbolic here; I think our democracy is under attack. If you look at gerrymandering, and the way in which we have a system where politicians are picking their voters, as opposed to citizens picking their representatives, if you look at the way in which these voter suppression laws have been passed, we’re coming to be a country that is inconsistent with our founding ideals and the notion of one man, one vote is really under attack.” As Robert Mueller investigates the possibility of Trump’s campaign colluding with Russia in the 2016 presidential election, on Monday 10-30-2017, the president’s former Campaign Chairman Paul Manafort, and a former business associate Rick Gates surrendered to federal authorities under a federal indictment. This indictment, which supports the case that laws were broken, no matter whom else is charged; this initial action puts a dark cloud on Trump’s team, and top level administrators in his campaign.All around the country and the world, it is now no secret that there was corruption at the highest levels of Trump’s campaign, and Trump can no longer accuse Robert Mueller’s investigation as a “witch hunt.” When laws are broken and people are charged with criminal indictments, no one is safe, and there is no place to run or hide.Increasingly, anti-democratic enforcement tactics are being utilized against immigrant communities at the risk of civil rights abuse. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) tactics have a well-documented history of constitutional abuse, and under Trump’s leadership, the record has broadened. Many experts feel ICE is Trump’s secret army, and there are very few things they’re unauthorized to do.There are cases of sexual assault and death, and according to the American Civil Union, ICE is seeking to destroy 11 different types of records. “Keeping these documents available is necessary for the public to understand and fully evaluate the operation of a system that is notorious for inhumane and unconstitutional conditions affecting hundreds of thousands of people every year,” the ACLU argued.Peaceful protest under Trump has been considered unpatriotic and NFL owners are being asked by Trump to take disciplinary action against players who take a knee during the national anthem. It is obvious that our president is not following the rule of law, because peaceful protest is a core principle of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.There is massive erosion of the right to protest under Trump’s attack on democracy and the Bill of Rights. There is an attack on democracy and it is essential that Americans resist and intensify their peaceful protests.